Folding top for vehicles.



M. BUCH.

FOLDING TOP FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1918.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

{M w n e I TNT MAX BUCH, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 HENRY E. EDWARDS, 0F JACKSON,

' MICHIGAN.

FOLDING TOP FGB VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. .Patented Dee. 1i? 1918.

Application filed may 27', 1918. Serial No, 236,891.

T 0 all-whom it may concern Be it known'that I, MAX BUcH, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Detroit, Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Tops for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to folding tops for vehicles and the like of what is known as the one man type.

One object of the invention is to provide a construction in which the parts projecting forwardly from the main bow or standard shall be self-balanced in the folding and unfolding movement.

Another object is to so arrange the linkage of the top as to remove all danger of the pinching of the fingers of the operator and to reduce the liability of injury to the fabric covering".

Theinvention further aims to provide a construction which shall be specially adapt ed for short bodied cars of the roadster type.

. With these and other objects in view the invention includes the novel features of construction and arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined by the appended claims, an

embodiment of the invention being illus trated in the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 1s a side elevation of the top as appliedv to an automobile body.

, F lg. 2 is a detail view of a modification,

In this drawing the top being shownin side elevation, only the main bow or standard, bow arms and linkage on one side ap-. pear, but it will be understood that they are duplicated on the other side, only one side being shown for convenience Similarly in the following description and claims reference is made, for'convenience, to

- the members on one side'only.

In the drawing and referring, first to Fig. 1, the numeral 1 designates the body of the vehicle for which thetop 1s adapted,'and

. which is intended to be representative of any type ofjvehicle or motor boa-t needing such a protective covering. The top covering' material is indicated at 2, supported by the following, describedfolding frame. This Comprises a main standard 3, which, as applied to a short body of the roadster type,

inclines rcarwardly as shown and carries a bow TW which may be made of an ntegral indicated at 8.

part of the main standard, to provide an all steel construction, or may be in the form of a wooden bow secured to the standard in th usual or any approved manner.

The lower end of the standard is pivotally connected with the body at 3. 5 designates the outrigger bow arm carrying the bow N which may likewise be made an integral part, or an attached wooden bow. The rear end of the outrigger bow arm 5 is piyotally connected at 5 with the front end of a link 9, the rear end of which is in turn pivotally connected to the main standard 3 as indicated at 9".

A cover supporting bow arm 7 is pivotally connected to the outrigger bow arm 5,

and the bow W thereof may be integral or attached as desired. A link 8 is pivotally connected to the cover supporting bow arm 7 at a suitable point indicated at 8 and this link has an angular portion 8 which is con- The link 8 and its angular portion in edect constitute a bell crank lever having its long arm connected to the bow 7 and one part of its short arm fnlcrumed to the link 8 at 9 while another part of the short arm is pivoted to the forwardrextremity of link 6 as In the form shown in Fig. -1 the short arm is turned downwardly and its extremity is 'fuicrumed at 9 to link 9 the pivot 8 being located at the bend or angle ofthe bell crank. In

the form shown in Fig. 2 the position of the short arm of the bell crank lever is reversed.

To provide a stop to limit the upward movement of theparts in the form shown in Fig. l I preferably curve. the adjacent end portions ofoutrigger bow arm 5 and link 9 upwardly so that the pivot pin 5 or a projection thereon will make contact with the underside of link or arm 8. I l

In the form showninFig. 2 the outrigger bowarm 5 is provided with a stop pin 10 which serves the same purpose.

Having thus described my invention, What lclairn is2- y 1. In a folding top, a main standard, an outrigger bow arm, a link connecting the outriggerbow arm with the main standard, a cover supporting bow arm pivoted to said outrigger bow arm, a bell crank lever fulcrumed on said link and having a long arm pivotally connected to said cover supporting bow arm, and a second link connecting said bell crank lever with said main standard.

In a folding top, a main standard, an outrigger bow arm, a link connecting the outrigger bow arm with the main standard, a cover supporting bow arm pivotally connected with said outrigger bow arm, a link pivotally connected with said cover supporting bow arm and having an angnlarly turned portion at its rear end, one part of said angularly turned portion being pivoted to said first named link, and a third link connecting another part of said angularly turned portion with the standard above the point of connection of the first named link. 3. In a folding top, a main standard, an outrigger bow arm, a link pivotally connecting the outrigger bow arm to the standard, a cover supporting bow arm pivoted to the outrigger bow arm and inclining normally,

rearwardly in relation thereto, a second link substantially parallel to said first named link and pivotally connected with the standard at its rear end and a third link pivotally connected respectively with said first named link and with said cover supporting bow arm, said third link having an offset or extension pivotally connected with said second link.

4. In a folding top, a rearwardly inclined main standard, an outrigger bow arm, a link pivotally connected with said standard and outrigger bow arm, a cover supporting bow arm pivotally connected with said outrigger bow arm and inclining rearwardly relative thereto, a link connected with the cover supporting bow arm and having an angular portion pivotally connected with said first named link, and a third link substantially parallel with said first named link and connecting said angular portion with said main standard.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MAX BITCH. 

